Undeterred by the stress the economy is having on the Arts, Tone Test composer Nick Brooke has joined with six other artists to create the ERPA project (ERPA = Economic Revitalization for the Performing Arts), an innovative initiative sponsored by The Field and the Rockefeller Foundation, that presents ” models for economic and financial sustainability. ” Nick and his cohorts can tell you all about it at WNYC’s Greene Space on Monday, September 21 at 7:30 PM. From Nick’s release: “Each artist will have 15 minutes to show off their wares and field questions from a discerning public audience. Join us to witness the fruits of their labor and hear how individual artists and arts organizations plan to revitalize their own economy.”

On Sunday, Aug 23rd 2009, Upright Cabaret’s incredibly popular “Wicked Summer Nights” series at the Ford Amphitheatre drew to a close with a spectacular concert entitled ‘Stephen Schwartz: Making Good’ which set out to celebrate the works of the man who inspired the series, Mr. Stephen Schwartz.

With Mr. Schwartz in attendance and narrating the first half of the concert, Director Billy Porter along with Music Directors Chris Bratten and Charity Wicks, guided the audience through the composers famed hit songs which included ‘Magic to Do,’ ‘Defying Gravity,’ and ‘I Guess I’ll Miss the Man,’ and then provided the audience with a sneak peek into Mr. Schwartz’ new work “Séance on a Wet Afternoon” set to debut in Sept 2009 in Santa Barbara, CA.